(1956-07-15)15 July 1956 Stretford, Lancashire, England
Died
18 May 1980(1980-05-18) (aged 23) Macclesfield, Cheshire, England
Genres
Post-punk[1]
Occupations
Singer
songwriter
musician
Instruments
Vocals
guitar
melodica
Years active
1976–1980
Labels
Factory
Formerly of
Joy Division
Website
joydivisionofficial.com
Musical artist
Ian Kevin Curtis (15 July 1956 – 18 May 1980) was an English singer, songwriter and musician. He was best known as the lead singer, lyricist and occasional guitarist of the post-punk band Joy Division, with whom he released the albums Unknown Pleasures (1979) and Closer (1980). He was noted for his unique dancing style influenced by his experiences with epilepsy, as well as his dark baritone voice. Retrospectively viewed as "one of the finest songwriters of his generation," his intensely introspective and dark lyricism has provoked "visceral and raw emotions" among fans.[2] He was also noted for his distinct on-stage behaviour.
Curtis had epilepsy and depression and died by suicide on the eve of Joy Division's first North American tour, shortly before the release of Closer. Shortly after his death, the three surviving members of the band renamed themselves New Order. Despite their short career, Joy Division have exerted a wide-reaching influence. John Bush of AllMusic argues that they "became the first band in the post-punk movement emphasizing not anger and energy but mood and expression, pointing ahead to the rise of melancholy alternative music in the '80s".[1] According to critic Simon Reynolds, Joy Division's influence has extended from contemporaries such as U2 and the Cure to later acts including Interpol, Bloc Party, Fontaines D.C., and Editors, as well as rappers including Danny Brown and Vince Staples.[3][4]
Ian Kevin Curtis (15 July 1956 – 18 May 1980) was an English singer, songwriter and musician. He was best known as the lead singer, lyricist and occasional...
Salford in 1976. The group consisted of vocalist, guitarist and lyricist IanCurtis, guitarist/keyboardist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook and drummer...
his performance in the 2007 biographical film Control about the life of IanCurtis, as protagonist Sal Paradise in the 2012 adaptation of the Jack Kerouac...
1980 as a non-album single. Its lyrics were inspired by lead singer IanCurtis's marital problems and struggles with epilepsy. The single was released...
was to become Joy Division in 1976. Following the death of lead singer IanCurtis in 1980, the band reformed as New Order, and Hook played bass with them...
Sean Harris (born 1965/1966) is an English actor. He played IanCurtis in 24 Hour Party People (2002), Micheletto Corella in The Borgias (2011–2013), Fifield...
playing guitar and keyboards for Joy Division. Following lead singer IanCurtis's death, the remaining members of Joy Division formed New Order with Sumner...
Curtis. It details her life and marriage with IanCurtis, lead singer of the 1970s British post-punk band Joy Division. In the book, Deborah Curtis speaks...
multiple people Ian James Corlett (born 1962), cartoon writer and voice actor, creator of Being IanIan Crocker (born 1982), swimmer IanCurtis (1956–1980)...
pulsar. It is the only Joy Division album released during lead singer IanCurtis's lifetime. Factory Records did not release any singles from Unknown Pleasures...
IanCurtis) or related side projects. Joy Division was formed in 1976 by guitarist Bernard Sumner and bassist Peter Hook, later recruiting singer Ian...
international audience. Chatten drew comparisons with post-punk frontmen IanCurtis and Mark E. Smith for both his intensity and lyrics. The band quickly...
such as John Bishop and Ben Miller, and musicians such as Gary Barlow, IanCurtis, and Harry Styles. Most places are involved in agriculture and chemistry...
and Coldplay's "Talk" (2005) and "Viva la Vida" (2008), as well as the IanCurtis biographical film Control (2007), The American (2010), A Most Wanted Man...
the manager of Joy Division in Anton Corbijn's award-winning biopic of IanCurtis, Control, for which his performance won the Best Supporting Actor Award...
Frank Waters, before changing it to Curtis Waters, a homage to his two favourite artists Joy Divisions’s IanCurtis and Frank Ocean. As a teenager attending...
Heber Doust Curtis (1872–1942), American astronomer Helen Noble Curtis (1874–1961), American activist, volunteer, educator and speaker IanCurtis (1956–1980)...
where the newly formed Joy Division perform, led by the erratic, brooding IanCurtis. Wilson founds a record label, Factory Records, and signs Joy Division...
appearance were also noted as similar to that of Joy Division singer IanCurtis. Pitchfork's Cat Zhang described Shkutko's vocals as "spectral and disembodied"...